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NITED STATES ATENT Orrrcn.

GEORGE J. GREGERSON, OF NElV YORK, ASSTGNOR .OF ONE-HALF OF HIS RIGHT TO EMMA L. HAYWARD, OF PORT RICHMOND, N. Y.

PROCESS OF TREATING PINE-LEAVES AND OTHER VEGETABLE FIBERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 229,248, dated June 29, 1880.

Application filed February 27, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnonen J. Gnnenn- SON, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Process of Treating Pine-Leaves and other Vegetable Fibers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a new method of treating the fiber such ascontained in pineleaves or other analogous fibrous substances, either in their natural or in their dry state, so as to separate the fibrous matter from the for eign substances found associated therewith, and thereby obtaining a pulpy mass suitable for manufacture of paper, or a fibrous mass for other uses in the arts.

The following are the steps when the mate'- rial to be treated is in its natural state and in order to obtain the fiber in a pulpy condition First, extracting the essential oils, in order to prepare the mass for fermentation; second, fermentation, in order to put the mass in a condition for freeing it from resinous matter, 8m; third, the carrying off of the resinous matter, 850., and for softening the fiber and bringing it into an elastic state; fourth, freeing the mass from alkaline matter-that is to say, bringing such matter into salts, while at same time disintegrating the mass, and then washing out the salts.

I therefore, to obtain such product, proceed as follows:

First. I place the vegetable matter-such, for instance, as fine leaves-in a large tank. This tank is constructed with a false bottom,

situated about six inches above its true bottom, the false bottom being perforated. A pipe is so arranged as to supply steam between these two bottoms. The cover to the tank is made to fit it closely, and there is connected to the center of such cover a pipe leading 0E into a reservoir at the side of the tank. The tank is not quite filled up to the top with leaves, a few inches space being left, and the material is saturated with either cold or warm water introduced ,at the top of the tank. In order to hasten the operation, the leaves or other material maybe cut before being placed in the tank. The cover being placed on the tank, steam is then introduced between the two bottoms and the heat carried up from about 150 to 180 Fahrenheit. The vapor which will now arise in the space between the material and the cover will be carried off through the pipe in the .cover, and pass into thereservoir, and bethere condensed, thereby producing essential oils, which prodnction, however, is no part of this present process. This evaporation is continued until the material is deprived of the essential oils contained therein, and then the liquor contained in the tank is drawn off by means of a then poured over the material in the genera tor and drawn off through a faucet in the lower portion of the generator. This operation is continued from time to time for the purpose of creating fermentation. The temperature of the mass is kept up to about or Fahrenheit. The contact of the air with the minutely-divided liquid promotes the operation, which consists essentially in the oxidation of the alcohol. When the fermentation is complete, the material is in a softened condition and ready to be transferred to the proper apparatus for the third step of the operation.

Third. The mass is now placed in an iron tank of proper size to hold any large or given mass to be treated, the shape or form not being essential, so long as it is strong enough to withstand the required pressure. I prefer at this step to use a kier, such as employed in the ordinary bleaching process. When the kier is filled the man-hole is closed. Ste-am is then let into the kier and the pressure carried up to the required degree. The heat dissolves the resinous and analogous substances contained in the material, and they are discharged through a faucet at the lower end of the kier into a reservoir placed near that point. The

.quired to take out the Woody and resinous madegree to which the pressure is carried depends upon the fibrous material being treated and the character of product to be produced. When pine-leaves are treated, which contain in their composition a large amount of fiber and resinous material, a high pressure is reterials and to make the resulting fiber soft and elastic. I therefore employ therewith a range of pressure from 200 to 500 Fahrenheit. When other leaves or material of more delicate texture are treated, and also with fine leaves, when a less soft and elastic product is required, a pressure varying between 25 and 200 may be used with excellent results. A high pressure is necessary to obtain a very soft fiber, such as to produce a pulp for manufacturin g paper out of, or for usein the manufacture of cloth, felt, &c. The duration of time of the treatment with steam is from six to ten hours. I do not, therefore, confine myself to any degree of heat or duration of time for treatin g the material at this stage, so long as fiber is separated from the other material, as it can be used for some purpose or other treated at any degree of heat above 25 its degree of hardness or softness after being so separated by heat and pressure determining its fitness for some one use or the other in the arts.

Fourth. I now treat the fiber so separated and properly softened with a diluted acideither sulphuric, muriatic, or equivalent acidfor the purpose of converting the vegetable alkali remaining in the fiber into salts,'which is done in a hollen der, so called, and at same time the fiber thus becomes disintegrated more or less, depending upon the time it is left in the vessel. The salts may then be washed out of the mass by clean water, and a pulpy mass of fiber is left in a more or less soft condition. The product may be subsequently bleached, if desired, for any particular use in the arts.

When the material is in a dry state, to obtain a pulpy mass, the first step of the process may be omitted, as there are no essential oils to be got rid of. The operation may be commenced at the second step-that is, with the creation of fermentation in the mass.

When it is desired to obtain a fibrous mass, such as required for use in mattresses, cushions, and other upholstery purposes, the first and second steps are both dispensed with, whether the fibrous material treated is in its natural or in its dry state.

I claim- 1. The process of treating vegetable fiber by first extracting the essential oils, and then freeing the mass from resinous matter by means of fermentation and by heat and pressure, and then from the alkaline matter by a subsequent treatment as will reduce such alkaline matter into salts, and then washing out such salts, substantially as described.

2. The process of treating vegetable fiber by freeing the mass from resinous matter by means of fermentation and by heat and pressure, and then from the alkaline matter by a subsequent treatment as will reduce such alkaline matter into salts, and then washing out such salts, substantially as described.

3. The process of treating vegetable fiber by freeing the mass from resinous matter by means of heat and pressure, and then from the alkaline matter by a subsequenttreatment as will reduce such alkaline matter into salts, and then washing out such salts,substantially as described.

GEORGE J. GREGERSON.

Witnesses:

J AMES H. HUNTER, ANDREW M. Tom). 

